This invention relates to a paper delivery apparatus for delivering webs of paper printed by a rotary printing press after being cut but not folded. A rotary printing press utilized to print on a web of paper payed out from a roll of a paper feed device is usually provided with a folding machine that cuts the printed web to a predetermined length and then fold the cut length by a sheet delivery apparatus called a sheeter which cuts the printed web to a predetermined length and delivers the cut length as it is without folding the same. FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows paper delivery apparatus of the type described above. A printed web 1 set from a rotary printing press, not shown, is sent toward left while being clamped between a drag roller 2 and a paper clamping roller 3 and transferred by a plurality of transfer belts 4 and 5 opposing each other for clamping therebetween the printed web 1. Near the drag roller 2 is positioned a flying cutter 6 which cuts the web into sheets 7 (hereinafter merely termed a paper) having a predetermined length. The cut papers 7 are transferred further to the left by the belts 4 and 5 and an endless belt 8 contiguous to belts 4 and 5. The cut papers 7 are conveyed by a plurality of sets of paper delivery rollers 9 and 10 provided at the delivery end and an air nozzle 11 is provided to blast compressed air against the cut papers 7 so as to maintain them in a horizontal attitude. Consequently, the papers 7 fall down along a vertical guide 13 while mantaining their horizontal attitude to pile up on a paper supporting pedestal 14.
With this construction, however, the falling papers 7 are caused to flutter by the air jet ejected from the air nozzle 11. Especially, when the papers are thin, they flutter greatly so that neat piling becomes impossible. Moreover, since the papers 7 are delivered at a high speed when they collide against the vertical guide 13 their front ends tend to deflect upwardly or downwardly and the bent ends enter between the vertical guide 13 and a lower sheet of paper. To eliminate this difficulty it has been proposed to provide a shift and smooth board between a paper guide 12 near the delivery end and the vertical guide for guiding the papers along the board and then causing them to fall down smoothly. However, such board applies a braking force to the papers, thus preventing the same from reaching the vertical guide 13.